Khem Birch News

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Khem Birch scored two points with three rebounds in 16 minutes against the Celtics on Friday. The Magic were playing from behind, so Birch's minutes dropped from 29 because they had to go small. It's still nice to see he is trusted to play so much power forward, but of course Aaron Gordon should be back on Tuesday to make it a moot point.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Khem Birch scored six points with nine rebounds, three assists and one block in 29 minutes against the Bucks on Wednesday. He picked up major minutes at power forward in this game and even closed out next to Nikola Vucevic, which is very noteworthy. Jonathan Isaac struggled in a big way today while Birch brought energy on the defensive end. He's still not a strong pickup in most leagues, but just keep an eye on him to see if he can earn more run.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Khem Birch ended up with two points across 18 minutes in Saturday's 113-105 loss against the Clippers. Birch went 1-of-3 from the field while adding three rebounds, one steal and just one turnover. The most noteworthy part of his game was the fact he saw some time at power forward in addition to center. After disappearing for eight games, he is averaging 15.0 minutes per game over the past two outings. Perhaps his versatility will score him some addition run down the stretch, but he is only a player worth monitoring in deeper fantasy leagues at this point.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Khem Birch scored two points with seven rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes against the Hawks on Thursday. If you're a hardcore NBA fan, you probably have really enjoyed watching the one they call Khembiid. He's a highlight machine for his hops and blocks, but now he is likely going to move out of the rotation with Nikola Vucevic (hand) getting closer. Hopefully we see Birch re-emerge.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Khem Birch played well in 18 minutes vs. the Cavaliers on Tuesday, scoring eight points with five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. Birch was the third center off the bench during the first half, but leapfrogged Marreese Speights in the second half. He was 4-of-5 from the field and played some really nice defense on LeBron James when he was switched onto him in pick-and-rolls. If there's one player who deserves more minutes in Orlando it's Birch, and he could be interesting if the Magic move a big or two at the deadline.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Birch totaled four points (2-4 FG), eight rebounds, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes during Saturday's 115-98 loss to Washington. Birch came off the bench once again but outplayed Bismack Biyombo, not for the first time this season. He has seen regular minutes in the rotation with Nikola Vucevic (hand) on the sidelines and has shown glimpses of what he can offer the team. Vucevic is getting closer to a return and there is a chance Birch can take some of the backup minutes away from Biyombo given his performances of late. He is by no means a player that should be owned in anything but the deepest of leagues but is worth keeping an eye on to see if he trends up once Vucevic returns to the floor.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Khem Birch played 28 minutes in Saturday's 115-98 loss to Washington, finishing with four points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal. We like Birch's potential, but it's going to be hard for the big man to make a mark in standard settings with Nikola Vucevic (hand) and Jonathan Isaac (ankle) on the mend, not to mention the presence of Bismack Biyombo and Marreese Speights (10 points, 18 minutes) on the roster.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Birch totaled 11 points (4-5 FG, 3-8 FT), five rebounds, three steals and one assist across 19 minutes in Saturday's 114-112 loss to the Pacers. Birch has now earned double-digit minutes in each of the last five contests as he has carved out a role on a Magic roster looking for answers. The scoring output was one off his season-high, and he could easily improve on his scoring if he can improve his subpar free-throw percentage, which was under 50 percent Saturday.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Khem Birch scored 11 points with five rebounds, one assist and three steals in 19 minutes against the Pacers on Saturday. After Mo Speights saw some center minutes early, Birch gave the Magic some great effort in the second half. The Magic aren't going to be winning many games and it'll be interesting to see what happens with Birch once Nikola Vucevic comes back. He's a sneaky add in very deep leagues for his per-minute upside.

Khem Birch

Khem Birch

Frank Vogel offered up some high praise for Khem Birch during a recent interview. "He’s remarkably quick off the floor and he does surprise guys [with his shot-blocking abilities]," said Vogel. "He continues to prove himself and we’ll continue to use him. He’s like a robot and he’s unfazed by all of that [surrounding noise] and he just goes out and plays." Birch was out there for the entirety of the fourth quarter during Sunday's win over the Celtics, and it looks like he's earned a spot in the rotation. He's averaged 2.3 swats per game over the past three, so he's on the radar as a deep league shot-blocking specialist.